What's Next?
by Rachel9
Summary: A continuation of the great, must-see movie! Mary Jane knows, Harry wants revenge, and Peter must continue the journey of being Spider-man. So what's next for the trio? A sappy MJ/P 'ship with action involved! *FINISHED*
1. What's Next?

Just as a warning...I have never read the comic books. I know about the general plot, but was never a huge fan of comics in general.  
  
This is based on the ending of the movie -- which everyone MUST go see! I saw it twice on opening weekend, but even because of that...I have no experience writing about these characters.  
  
Also, this is my first Spidey fic ever, so be gentle w/me if you review it! I don't care that it's "impossible" or whatever...I just wanted to have some fun and get MJ and Peter together. I figured I'd throw a little plot in for the fun of it.  
  
What's Next  
  
By Rachel  
  
Disclaimer: Peter, MJ, and the rest of the gang all belong to Stan Lee, and the people affiliated with the movie...I'm merely a fan, and (unfortunately) do not own any of them.  
  
Summary: A continuation of the great, must-see movie! Mary Jane knows, Harry wants revenge, and Peter must continue the journey of being Spider- man. So what's next for the trio? This mostly focuses on continuing MJ's and Peter's 'ship...very sappy, I hope.  
  
Author's Notes: _______ Signifies thoughts and *_______* Signifies emphasis on certain words.  
  
Feedback? OF COURSE! But no flames, please!  
  
  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
It had been almost a week since the day that Mary Jane and Peter had talked in the graveyard as they stood in front of his uncle's tombstone. There, MJ expressed her feelings of newly discovered love for him, and, even though Peter wanted to tell her so many things about him, he refused to come clean about his own feelings for MJ.  
  
As Peter had walked away from her that afternoon, he swore to himself that he would keep her at arms-length distance. He wouldn't let her, or anyone else, get to close to him, because every time that happened, he placed his loved ones in danger. As proven by the Green Goblin, if anyone found out who Peter really was, they would all go after his friends and family. Peter swore that he would never place his Aunt May and Mary Jane in danger again, even if that meant living a life of solitude and darkness.  
  
However, since he was trying to avoid MJ, the week had passed very slowly for Peter. Not seeing her shining eyes, her bright smile, or hearing her laugh drove him into even more of a depression. Finally, he decided to just go see her. Maybe there was still a chance that the two of them could just remain friends.  
  
"MJ!" Peter Parker cried out as he spotted her red hair bouncing back and forth as she walked down the steps of the diner that she worked in. "MJ, wait up!" Peter ran across the street to catch up with her.  
  
"Peter?" she asked, turning back around when she heard his voice calling out her name. "Hey there, Tiger," she greeted him with a smile on her face.  
  
"Hey," he said, stopping in front of her.  
  
"What are you doing here?" MJ asked. What? Just "in the neighborhood" again? she thought to herself, a small smile on her face.  
  
"I just thought I'd stop by and see how you were," Peter said.  
  
"I'm good," she said, nodding and smiling at him. She looked down at her watch, saying "Ooh, but I'm going to be late." She started walking down the street and Peter followed. "I have another audition today for a real TV show," she explained. "It's a call back, so I think that they liked me."  
  
"That's great!" Peter said. "Well, I can walk you over there if you'd like."  
  
"Thanks," MJ explained. The two walked down the sidewalk together, both silent. MJ knew that she had to bring up what had happened that day in the graveyard. She had been so sure that he shared her feelings, what had gone wrong? "So, how is Spider-man?" she asked, not really sure why that had been the question she asked.  
  
Peter groaned and sighed. "Do you still love that guy?" he teased, even though he was secretly proud that she was asking about him.  
  
MJ smiled and stopped walking. "No, I only love one guy," she said, looking into his blue eyes, the blue eyes that she had come to love over the months.  
  
Peter stopped walking also and stared at her, knowing that she was talking about him. "You know...MJ-"  
  
She looked down at her shoes and then turned to start walking again. "Sorry, I shouldn't have said that," she explained.  
  
"No, MJ..." Peter started. "Look, it's complicated, okay? And I can't really explain everything to you."  
  
"I understand," Mary Jane stated. And she did, more than Peter even realized.  
  
"Thank you," Peter said. "C'mere." He wrapped his arms around MJ and gave her a comforting hug.  
  
MJ closed her eyes and breathed him in. The words, "I will always be your friend," echoed throughout her mind. Then how come this feels so right? she asked herself. We weren't meant to be friends, we were meant to be something more. She allowed herself to relax in his embrace, sighing in comfort.  
  
Peter let his cheek rest against the top of her head, momentarily letting his defenses down. Being with Mary Jane made him feel relieved, as if all of the stress and worries of being Spider-man had been lifted off of his shoulders. Then, just as he was getting ready to say something, a twinge went off on the back of his neck, almost like a breeze that had tickled his skin. Something was up; his spider-sense was going off.  
  
He held onto the woman of his dreams for a second longer before stepping back. "Uh...MJ, I forgot that...uh, I have to pick up a few things for Aunt May," he said, making up an excuse to get away from her.  
  
MJ smiled, fully well aware of what was going on. "Okay," she started. "I should get going to my audition anyway." The two took a step back from each other.  
  
"Good luck," Peter said. "Call me and let me know how the audition went, okay? I want to be the first person to hear that you got discovered!"  
  
"You got it, Tiger," Mary Jane replied. She continued walking while Peter took off in a run heading the other way.  
  
Once Peter and she had some distance between the two of them, Mary Jane turned back around and watched Peter run down the sidewalk and turn down into an alley. She raised her eyes to the sky and saw something flying through the sky and she smiled to herself. No doubt about it, Peter was Spider-man.  
  
As MJ walked down the street the where the audition was being held, she thought about that day at the graveyard. She remembered how, even though unintentionally, Peter *had* let his secret slip that day. Mary Jane knew that he was Spider-man. Well, on that day she hadn't known for sure, but the more she thought about it, the more that she thought her suspicions were correct.  
  
The way that she felt when she was around him was the same way that she felt when Spider-man had rescued her those two times. Then there was the whole coincidence that both Peter Parker and Spider-man had been in her run- down neighborhood at the same time. That was just too impossible to believe. And then finally, what helped her solve the puzzle was Peter himself.  
  
The shape of his face when she had pulled back his mask, and then later rested her hands on was the same. And finally, when she had kissed him, once in the alley and then again in the graveyard. The way that his lips felt against hers, the way that they moved together, gave MJ the realization that she had been kissing Peter the whole time. And not to mention that thing he does with his tongue when... .  
  
But this was no time to get off topic.  
  
As far as she was concerned, Peter had feelings for her and was hiding them. Why else would the Green Goblin come after *her* of all people?  
  
All she had to do now was get Peter to realize that she knew and get him to 'fess up. Now, how was she going to do that?  
  
  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
TBC....please leave some feedback if you enjoyed...this is my first fic ever -- be gentle! 


	2. Harry's Plan

Thank you everyone for the great feedback you left me! The tips that a few of you left have really helped and I'm glad that you all are enjoying the story. :) Thank you so much for all of the kind words.  
  
Disclaimers in part 1  
  
On with the show...  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
Harry Osborn walked through the hallway of Oscorp, Norman Osborn's big corporation. Dressed in khakis and an off-white, long-sleeved shirt, Harry made his way towards the back of the Oscorp building where his father had set up his lab. Harry had never imagined that the day that he would have to go clean out his father's office would arrive so quickly.  
  
Nevertheless, his father had been murdered. He had been murdered by Spider- man, the person that everyone in New York City was now calling a hero. He will pay, Harry constantly reminded himself. Spider-man will pay for what he did to me. Instead of seeing an image of Spider-man saving someone from danger, Harry saw an image of Spider-man laying his father down on the couch and then escaping through the open window. That image was burned into Harry's brain and he swore to never forget that scene as long as he lived.  
  
Harry carried a couple of boxes to clean everything out and take back to his apartment. He was living by himself now in a small apartment that was on the outskirts of town. A few days passed after his father's death, when Harry realized that without the continual loans from his father, Harry would have to move out of the loft that he shared with Peter.  
  
Harry wasn't sad that he had to move, however, now that he knew who Mary Jane Watson really wanted to be with. She wanted *him* all along, he thought on the day when he saw the two in the hospital room holding hands. And because of that, Harry didn't mind moving away from Peter.  
  
He and MJ had never *officially* broken up, they had simply drifted apart. Part of Harry still hoped that there was a part of her, deep down inside that still wanted to be with him. Dream on, he told himself.  
  
Harry stood in front of the doors outside of his father's office, taking a deep breath before beginning to turn one of the doorknobs. "Hello Harry," a stranger greeted him before Harry had the chance to open the door. Harry turned and looked at the middle-aged man who was quickly walking up to him. Harry suspected that it was one of the many men who worked for his father. "I'm Dr. Kellner, I worked for Norman."  
  
"Good afternoon," he greeted politely. "I, uh, have just come to get a few things that were my father's." Harry opened the door and took a step inside.  
  
"Oh, of course," he said, following Harry as he walked into the room. "Your father was a great man. He was an absolute genius, if I may say."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
"Well, if you need any help, please let me know."  
  
"Thanks."  
  
"Not a problem," the man replied, stepping away from Harry and turning towards the door.  
  
Harry walked over to Norman's desk and picked up a few of his personal items...a picture frame, a paperweight, a few pens and pencils. God, this is stupid, Harry thought. There's nothing even here that he cared about. He sighed as he continued to fill the box.  
  
"Is this all that he has?" he asked Dr. Kellner after he was finished cleaning out Norman's desk.  
  
The doctor turned around, asking, "Have you been into his lab yet?"  
  
"His...his lab?" Harry questioned. "I, uh, don't think so."  
  
"Your father did all of his experiments down in that lab in order to keep that grant from the General," Dr. Kellner explained. He started walking to the doorway, motioning Harry to follow him. "He was working on something fantastic too, a supplement that would enhance a person's muscles over 100 percent."  
  
"Did it work?" Harry asked, following the doctor.  
  
"Well, I guess that we'll never know now. The project was canceled, Harry. Norman lost the grant, and the supplement was never tested on anything more than rats," Dr. Kellner explained. The two men were silent until they reached the doors leading to the laboratory. "Most everything was cleaned out after your father died, but there still may be some things in here."  
  
Harry walked through the doors and started walking around the room. He noticed that the isolation chamber was cracked and destroyed, glass had shattered all over the floor of the room, and a few of the equipment stands had been broken. The room looked like a tornado had come through it. However, he walked over to a table in the middle of the room that was still standing. Three tubes of a green liquid sat on the table in between a large, metal clamp. "What is this?" he asked, picking one of the tubes off the table.  
  
"Oh, that was the prototype to the supplement that he was working on," Dr. Kellner explained.  
  
"And you say that no one knows if it works or not?" Harry asked.  
  
"Well, I heard that some of the doctors wanted to take the chemical back to the formula," Dr. Kellner explained. "There were some trials that went wrong, one of the many reasons why they dropped the funding for the project. Norman just wasn't coming up with what they wanted quickly enough."  
  
"Do you...drink it?" Harry asked, looking at the liquid.  
  
"No, no...it is changed into a gaseous state and your body absorbs it. Why are you so curious, son?" he asked.  
  
"Oh, no reason. I was just interested in what my father spent all his time doing here," Harry explained, looking at the capsule of green liquid that he held in his hand.  
  
Truthfully, however, an evil plan was brewing in Harry's brain. This was what he could use to seek revenge on Spider-man. With this chemical in his body, maybe he would be able to avenge his father's death.  
  
  
  
***  
  
  
  
That same night, Harry Osborn snuck back into Oscorp, determined to get his hands on those tubes of the muscle-strengthener. He didn't know how he would get the liquid into his body, but Harry knew that if this would strengthen him, maybe it would give him the prefect oportunity to kill Spider-man.  
  
The guards were few in Oscorp since Norman's death, so Harry didn't have a problem getting into the lab. Once there, he walked over to the table and grabbed the green tubes of liquid.  
  
"Okay, so...a liquid into a gas," Harry whispered to himself. "How would I do that?" He was no scientist; after all, that was his father's job. Peter wasn't around anymore to help him with science, so Harry was on his own.  
  
Harry was clueless has to how he could get the supplement to actually work. The isolation chamber had been trashed so there was no way that he could get the gas to work that way. Even if the chamber did work, there was no way that he could operate it by himself.  
  
Finally, Harry decided to give up on the idea of the gas. He pulled off the top of the container and stared at the liquid, deciding to be brave for the first time in his life. "Here's to you, Dad," he muttered, raising the glass tube as if it were a champagne glass. Closing his eyes and holding his breath, Harry took gulp after gulp of the green juice.  
  
"Well, that wasn't so bad," Harry said after he finished the bottle. However, before he could take a step, his body began shaking. His muscles felt as if they were on fire. His legs felt as if he had dozens of charley horses, and his arms felt as if they were snapping in two. Harry fell onto his knees and then collapsed on the floor as he quickly gave into unconsciousness.  
  
  
  
***  
  
  
  
Harry didn't know how long he was out. He wasn't wearing a watch and there were no windows in the lab. He slowly sat up, wondering what had happened. His head was throbbing, and Harry groaned as he felt the headache from hell quickly approaching.  
  
Then he remembered -- his father's supplement. Had it worked?  
  
Harry slowly stood on his feet and walked over to one of the desks that had been trashed. He grabbed a metal rod that lay on the floor and picked it up. As if he were Superman, he easily bent the rod into a horseshoe shape. "Amazing," he whispered to himself.  
  
"Thank you Dad!" He screamed, raising his hands into the air. He could feel the new power coursing throughout his veins. Harry could feel his muscles tightening with new strength and power.  
  
The experiment was a success. Now, all he had to do was find Spider-man.  
  
  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
OK, in my opinion, this was totally unbelievable, and it didn't turn out like I thought it would *at* *all*. I don't think that Harry would have done this. Anyway, I needed some plot...so...yeah, there ya go!  
  
TBC...  
  
Maybe part 3 tomorrow and then I've got to deal with some real life! 


	3. Mary Jane and Peter

Once again, thank you for all of the great feedback and reviews. I really love it, they cheer me up whenever I read over them. You guys keep me writing this!  
  
Thanks! Anyway, back to our regularly scheduled program...the MJ/Peter stuff!  
  
Disclaimers all are in part 1.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
Mary Jane walked down the sidewalk, feeling as though she were on Cloud Nine. Although it wasn't Broadway or the actual theater like she had first imagined herself doing, she had finally landed herself an acting job. She had gotten a part in a TV show, her first appearance ever. It was a small TV show, but Mary Jane knew that every actor had to get his or her start somewhere. Keeping her promise, the first person she was going to tell was Peter; however, instead of calling, she was going to visit and surprise him.  
  
She felt as if she could do anything. She was finally going to be an actress. This would be her big break, and she knew that Peter would support her all the way. Now, if only she could work up the bravery to sit down and talk to him about his secret.  
  
She walked into the apartment building where Peter's loft was located and stepped into the elevator. MJ hoped that Peter would be there so they could talk.  
  
Once she was on the top floor, Mary Jane stepped out of the elevator and walked up to Peter's door. She was glad that Harry had moved out of the loft and Peter now lived by himself. She realized that it was probably easier for him also since he wouldn't have to worry about someone else finding out about Spider-man.  
  
She knocked on the door and a second later, Peter opened the door. "MJ! Hey!" he said, stepping aside to let her inside.  
  
"Hey Peter," she greeted, walking through the doorway. She turned back around to face him. "I got a part!"  
  
"You did?" Peter asked before MJ smiled and nodded. "MJ, that's great!"  
  
"It was so amazing...they called me back simply to tell me that I got a part as a character for a couple of episodes," Mary Jane explained. "And then he started talking about how they can write me in for more episodes if the viewers like me."  
  
"Well, they are going to love you, all of them," Peter said honestly. "I'm so proud of you. This is it, MJ, your dream."  
  
"Yeah, and I've got to admit, it feels pretty good," Mary Jane said.  
  
"Well, how about dinner?" Peter asked. "How would that feel?"  
  
"Dinner would feel good right about now, also," she said.  
  
"The sky is the limit...well, up to twenty dollars or so," Peter explained. Mary Jane laughed as he said, "Let me grab my jacket."  
  
"Okay," Mary Jane said. She walked over to the door and opened it. "I was thinking, how about that new Italian restaurant that's three streets over? I think it's called 'El Dente's' or something like that. Ever tried that?"  
  
"No, but it sounds good," Peter said, following MJ out the door and closing it behind him.  
  
  
  
***  
  
  
  
"Well, that was the best Italian I've ever had," Mary Jane said as she walked through the door of Peter's apartment. The two spent two hours at El Dente's, talking about what they had been up to and everything that had gone on in their lives since the end of high school.  
  
"Yeah..." he said distractedly.  
  
"Peter? Earth to Peter?" Mary Jane said, waving her hand in front of his face.  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"What's wrong? You've been out of it ever since we left the restaurant," MJ stated. "Are you okay?"  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine." Peter said.  
  
"Are you sure?" MJ asked, the concern evident on her expression.  
  
Peter nodded. "Yeah, why wouldn't I be fine?" Through the open window, he heard police sirens start to go off. There were car horns honking, people yelling, and screams echoing through the air. Then he heard something that sounded like screeching tires against the pavement. Should he have ignored it? Peter knew that he and Mary Jane weren't in any immediate danger, but he felt as if it were his duty to help out as much as he possibly could. "But...but I just remembered that...that I left some shirts at the dry cleaners and I have to pick them up before they close at 9:00."  
  
Mary Jane smiled. Was this her opportunity? "Okay," she said.  
  
"Look, this won't take long..." Peter started. "You can wait here."  
  
"Okay," she repeated. Peter turned around and started walking towards the doorway. Mary Jane took a deep breath before asking, "So, what's the real hurry, Spider-man?"  
  
Peter spun around, wide-eyed. "What?! What are you talking about?" Mary Jane just stared at him with this "how-long-did-you-think-it-would-take- before-I-found-out" look. He sighed and shook his head. "Look, stay *here* and...we'll talk when I get back." He walked through the doorway and slammed the door behind him.  
  
Mary Jane ran over to the open window and looked up into the evening sky. From the roof of the building, Peter swung out on a thread of spider webbing dressed in the red and blue Spider-man suit. She smiled as she watched him soar down the street on spider webs. "Very cool," she said to herself.  
  
  
  
***  
  
  
  
Peter came back from the police car chase in less than one hour. He came in through the window of his bedroom to change out of the outfit that he wore. He landed on the floor with a *thump* that Mary Jane heard from the living room below his bedroom. Peter quickly changed into a pair of dark jeans and a dark blue, long sleeved shirt.  
  
She knows, he thought as he stood in his room. The one person I didn't want to find out no knows. He was worried at what her reaction would be. Would she be angry that he had never told her? Confused? Pleased that she finally knew everything? All Peter knew was that he never wanted this to happen, at least not like this.  
  
Collecting his thoughts and regaining his calmness, Peter headed downstairs. Mary Jane was sitting on the couch watching the News. "Hey," he said.  
  
"Hey, Tiger," she said without her usual tone of happiness.  
  
"Sorry...there was a-"  
  
"A bank robbery," Mary Jane said. "Yeah, I saw it on the news, or, well...the car chase anyway. Nice job out there." She turned off the TV and looked up at him.  
  
Peter faintly smiled. "Look, MJ-"  
  
"Peter, you might not think that I do, but...I understand why you never told me," Mary Jane said.  
  
"You do?"  
  
"Yeah, I mean...okay, when Goblin had those kids and me up there and he made you choose between the two of us," Mary Jane started. Her thoughts were jumbled and she didn't know how to fully explain what she was thinking about. "I figured that the reason he chose *me* was because he...whoever that creep was, found out who *you* were. I don't know *how* he found out, but he did...and he kidnapped me to try and kill you."  
  
"Yeah, that's the gist of it," Peter said.  
  
"And...those things you said to me at the graveyard...I think that it was just to protect me," Mary Jane said. "It was to keep yourself from getting too close to me so that I would stay safe if anything else ever came up again. Am I getting warm?"  
  
"You are very insightful tonight," Peter said, nodding. "When?"  
  
"When did I realize who you were?" she asked. "That day in the graveyard when we kissed. I felt...God, this is so corny," she muttered, lowering her head.  
  
"No, keep talking," Peter said. He walked over and sat down beside her.  
  
"Okay..." she said. "I felt something and...I had only felt like that one other time...well, two. When I kissed you in the alley during the thunderstorm and that day when we were talking in the hospital room. Everything you have ever said to me was so real...like I could really hold you to that and trust you. You wouldn't treat me the way my father and everyone else does."  
  
"Oh Mary Jane," Peter said. He leaned toward her and swept a loose piece of hair behind her ear. "I would never treat you like that."  
  
"And I know that...that's why I told you..." her voice died off. "I love you, Peter, I'm not going to hide it, because I thought like hell that you felt the same way about me."  
  
And I do, Peter thought, unable to say the words to her face. "MJ...with me being Spider-man, I can't put anyone at risk. If anything, *anything*, were to happen to you...I would never be able to forgive myself. I *can't* put you in any type of danger that serious again."  
  
"I'm a big girl," Mary Jane said. "It's not your job to protect me. Before you got those powers of yours, you would have been powerless to help me anyway."  
  
"But it's because of me that you were placed in danger," Peter said. "It may not be my job, but now that I have this, I'm not going to stop."  
  
"No, and I don't think you should stop," Mary Jane said. "This gift of yours was meant to happen, I'm sure of that. You help people so well. You....you are a true hero, Peter. But...if you aren't there when a subway train crashes tomorrow, are you going to blame yourself? If there is a car accident later tonight and you don't...feel it, or whatever you do to get to places, are you going to place the blame on yourself? Life goes on, and you've got to live life also, Pete. The world has gone on for centuries without you, and will continue to press onward even if you aren't always there."  
  
"Mary Jane..." Peter started. His love for her increased if that was even possible. He loved it when she was so insightful like this; it was a side of her that very few people ever saw.  
  
"And I love you, and I want to be with you," she added. "And I just have this feeling that you are hiding every feeling from me, like you have been ever since we graduated from college." Mary Jane sighed, seeing that she was getting no where with him. "Peter, wouldn't it be better to live six months in love, than the rest of your life without it?" She stood up and grabbed her purse that sat on the floor.  
  
"MJ..." Peter started again.  
  
"Think about it," she said, walking towards the door.  
  
  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
OK...I don't know what everyone else thought, but I really wanted to make MJ seem like a smart gal...people don't see past her layer of girly-ness, but Peter does. Hope I made that clear as I could.  
  
TBC... 


	4. In the Rain

Wow! I had more time this weekend than I thought I would. And thank you to everyone who left me great reviews for chapter 3. Honestly, this is the most amount of reviews that I've ever gotten -- *ever*! I love reading what you think of this story and hope you'll like this part too! Thanks!  
  
Disclaimers in part 1.  
  
  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
Mary Jane rounded the curb, stepping over a quickly growing puddle as she tried to keep her shoes from getting soaked. It had been raining off-and-on all day long in New York. Mary Jane was walking into town after lunch with her new cast members of the show she was in. Everyone was really nice and glad that she joined the show, especially Mary Jane. It looked like a bright future for Mary Jane.  
  
However, a week had passed since she had last talked to Peter. She hadn't seen him since she confronted him about the Spider-man situation that night. Although her job situation was finally good, her problem with Peter had grown. Now, more than ever, she needed her friend, Peter Parker, to help her get through these times.  
  
Finally, this afternoon she summoned all of her bravery and set out after lunch to talk to Peter...and of course, MJ picked the rainiest day of the year to walk around New York City. At least she had an umbrella this time instead of holding her purse over her head.  
  
Mary Jane lowered her umbrella closer to her head, tilting it to the side to keep the rain from hitting her in the face. I hate rain, she thought. Whenever there is rain, there are creeps out who think that they can get the girls to screw them. She could relate since she could easily remember the last time she was in a situation exactly like that. That was when Spider-man had come to her rescue. Well, maybe its not so bad after all, she added to herself.  
  
Mary Jane walked down to the end of the street and turned down an alley, a shortcut to get to Peter's apartment, which would take her to his building. She stepped over puddles as she increased her pace, wanting to get inside and dry off quickly as possible.  
  
To her left, she heard a door open. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched as three tall, brown-haired men stepped out of the doorway. They were dressed in browns and blacks, and all of them were wearing caps on their heads. Mary Jane started walking to the left, trying to avoid the strangers. As she passed the one to her very right, he grabbed her arm, shoving a gun into her stomach. "Give me your purse," he growled into hear ear.  
  
"What?" MJ asked, taking a step back.  
  
The man pulled her closer to him as he poked the gun into her stomach, saying "Give me the purse, lady!"  
  
"What? No!" she said. Her first major paycheck from her acting job was inside her purse. Mary Jane hadn't cashed it yet, and she couldn't afford to loose it. "No!" she screamed again, trying to release herself from his grasp.  
  
"Give me the purse!" he repeated in her ear, raising his voice.  
  
"Hey! How about you leave her alone?" A voice called out from above them.  
  
The three men and MJ looked up, blinking back the drops of rain, as they saw a figure fly out from the sky. Peter... she thought to herself. "Spider-man!" she gasped.  
  
"Shit, it's the spider," one of the men cried out.  
  
The man who was holding onto Mary Jane released her arm and pushed her against the wall. MJ cried out in pain as her head banged against the brick wall and felt the breath get knocked out of her. She slid to the ground as she watched the stranger run towards Spider-man with the gun held in his hand, shooting four bullets at Peter.  
  
"P..." Mary Jane started saying. She quickly corrected herself, saying, "Spider-man! Watch out!"  
  
However, Spider-man easily dodged the bullets, ducking them all. He shot out a string of webbing and grabbed the gun, flinging it from the bully's hand. The thug threw a couple of weak punches before Peter grabbed him and flung him against the wall. The other two men tried to escape by running down the alley towards the opening.  
  
"Oh no, you don't," Peter muttered underneath his breath. Peter released a thread of webbing from each hand and grabbed into their jackets, catching, and then flinging them across the alley, a move that easily rendered the men unconscious.  
  
Finally, when Peter made sure that those three men wouldn't be getting up again, he ran over to Mary Jane. "Are you all right?" Peter helped Mary Jane to her feet and picked up her purse.  
  
Mary Jane hissed when she felt her head begin to pound. "I'm okay," she said.  
  
"What are you doing down here?" Peter asked, handing back her purse as Mary Jane tried to shake off the pain throbbing in her head. "I heard you screaming from my apartment."  
  
"I came to see you," Mary Jane said, trying to smile at him. "We seem to run into each other too often when it rains."  
  
"Well, maybe if you'd stay out of deserted alleys when it is pouring, you wouldn't see me so often," Peter said in a scolding tone. Although she couldn't see it because of the mask, Mary Jane knew that he was smiling.  
  
"I still think that I'd see you," MJ said. "I'm still convinced that you're stalking me."  
  
"And why would I do that?" Peter asked.  
  
"Because you can't get enough of me," Mary Jane simply replied.  
  
"Is that a fact?"  
  
"It sure is," she said, taking a step closer to him. Her knees were still wobbly so she leaned on him for support. "Want me to prove it?"  
  
Before Peter could react, MJ was reaching under his neck to grab the end of his mask. As if she was already a pro, which in some ways she was, Mary Jane started lifting his face mask, revealing the skin underneath. She rolled up the mask, this time not stopping past his lips, and slowly took Peter's mask off entirely. Finally, with his whole head exposed, MJ took a second to stare into his blue eyes before leaning forward and kissing him. She wrapped his arms around his neck as she met lips with his. Peter responded, dragging his hands down her side before resting on her hip bones. He touched her lips with his tongue, demanding entry to her mouth. MJ felt her knees go weak the instant that she felt his tongue against her upper lip, and she moaned into his mouth.  
  
Another instant, what seemed like an hour to the two, passed before Peter pulled back, gasping for breath. "We should get inside, you're getting soaked," he said. "You can dry off at my place, it's at the end of the street."  
  
"Okay," MJ said, trying to calm her frantically beating heart. She handed Peter his mask and he quickly placed it back over his head. Mary Jane took a step closer to him and wrapped her arms around his waist.  
  
"Hang on," he told her.  
  
"I Always do," she replied. Without a second thought, Peter took off, raising himself and Mary Jane into the sky and returning to his loft on the top floor.  
  
  
  
***  
  
  
  
Mary Jane and Peter took turns drying off and changing clothes in the bathroom, Mary Jane going first at Peter's insistence. Peter gave MJ some sweats of his to wear while her other clothes dried off. Afterwards, she walked down the steps into the living room while Peter finished changing upstairs.  
  
No, we are definitely not friends, MJ thought to herself as she walked over to the couch and sat down. Friends don't do what we just did...they don't kiss like we just did back in that alley. However, she was clearly thrilled from the kiss. Man, that man can kiss, she thought. She ran her fingers through her wet hair, squeezing out drops of water.  
  
Peter walked downstairs dressed in jeans and a short-sleeved shirt. His hair was still damp because he was letting it air dry. "Are you sure that you're okay?" he asked her as he sat down on the couch.  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine," She replied. "I think the headache has gone away."  
  
"Your clothes are drying," Peter explained. "What were you doing down here looking for me?"  
  
"I, uh...just thought that I'd give you an update on how my job was going since you always back me up with things like that," Mary Jane said. "I went down that alley to get over to your apartment complex sooner."  
  
"You know, there are such things as taxi cabs," Peter said, giving her a small smile.  
  
"Yeah, but that involves money," MJ said. "And I don't exactly have boo- coos of that green stuff."  
  
"But the job is going well?"  
  
She nodded. "It's great, it really is. I would have stopped by sooner to tell you how everything was going, but...after-"  
  
"I know," Peter interrupted. He had thought about everything that she had told him, especially the "I love you, and I want to be with you," part. The only question was, how much did he dare to risk by opening his heart to Mary Jane? Did he even know yet?  
  
"Thank you," Mary Jane whispered over to him.  
  
"For what?"  
  
"For...for being here for me every time that I needed you, for not letting me give up on my dream of acting," Mary Jane said. Who was she fooling? She had everything to thank him for; he had saved her life so many times, and what had she done for him in return? "Thank you for being a good...friend."  
  
"You're welcome," Peter replied, smiling over at her.  
  
"Can I stay here until my clothes dry?" MJ asked softly.  
  
"Of course," Peter said.  
  
"Thanks," MJ replied, pausing for a second to yawn.  
  
Peter leaned forward and picked up the remote control to the TV set. He turned on the TV as MJ leaned her head against Peter's shoulder and closed her eyes. Peter looked over at her and smiled. He turned down the volume on the TV so it wouldn't disturb her.  
  
Bit by bit, MJ began falling asleep. Her breathing slowed and became an even, steady motion. Peter gazed down at Mary Jane, the girl next door that he had loved since sixth grade, and smiled. Things might get worse, but they couldn't get much better than this, that much he knew for sure. "I love you," he whispered so softly that he, himself, could barely hear it. However, Mary Jane, who wasn't fully asleep yet, heard something fuzzy in her ear. Peter? she thought, not sure of what she was hearing. "I love you..." she heard someone say.  
  
Slowly, Mary Jane leaned towards Peter more and wrapped her arm around his waist, a move so intimate to Peter that he had to resist the urge to wake her up and tell her those three words. However, Peter lay his head down on top of hers as he, too, quickly nodded off.  
  
  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Yeah, yeah, I'm focusing a lot on MJ and Peter right now. Oh well...don't worry, Harry will be back!  
  
TBC.... 


	5. Decisions in Love

Once again, thank you for all of the great feedback and reviews. I'm glad that you all are enjoying this story. And wow, I just thought I'd comment of how many Spidey fics there are now in this section. I think it's jumped up about 20 stories since I first visited.  
  
Thanks! Anyway, I hope you aren't sick of MJ and Peter b/c that's what this chapter is about -- it's filled with PDA, smoochies, and tons of love!  
  
Disclaimers all are in part 1.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
Peter was the first to wake up the next morning. He was lying on his back, his arm draped over his eyes, and the other arm lying on his chest. No...wait, that wasn't his arm. His other hand was holding onto someone. He opened his eyes and looked down at Mary Jane. Her head was resting on top of his chest, her arms lying on either side of him and her legs twisted around his. What he wouldn't give to be able to wake up to this every morning with Mary Jane so close to him.  
  
Peter stared up at the ceiling of his apartment as he took a second and reflected back on what Mary Jane had told him, her words of wisdom directed towards him in hopes of persuading him to change his mind.  
  
"No, and I don't think you should stop," Mary Jane had said. "This gift of yours was meant to happen, I'm sure of that. You help people so well. You....you are a true hero, Peter. But...if you aren't there when a subway train crashes tomorrow, are you going to blame yourself? If there is a car accident later tonight and you don't...feel it, or whatever you do to get to places, are you going to place the blame on yourself? Life goes on, and you've got to live life also, Pete. The world has gone on for centuries without you, and will continue to press onward even if you aren't always there."  
  
"Wouldn't it be better to live six months in love, than the rest of your life without it?" she had asked him next.  
  
And the real question here was -- would it? Had he become so wrapped up upholding his "responsibility" of protecting the city that he hadn't thought about what it was like before he arrived? Peter knew that he was doing a good thing. He knew that this was the right thing *to* do, but in doing this he was ultimately pushing everyone away from him, especially MJ. Throughout all of this, however, he also knew that he was yearning to be with Mary Jane.  
  
He *needed* to be with Mary Jane.  
  
And there it was...that had to be his solution to the problem. He needed to be with Mary Jane, it was as simple as that. He knew that they weren't friends. Ever since they had talked after Norman Osborn's funeral, Peter knew that it would be impossible to remain friends with this woman. It tore him up inside to say those words to her, to push away her love, to watch as her face fell and her heart broke, and lie about his own feelings. And now, knowing very well how to make everything right once again, did Peter dare to act upon these thoughts?  
  
Yes, he did.  
  
"MJ," he whispered, gently shaking her shoulder. "Mary Jane, wake up."  
  
"Hmm?" she asked in a sleep-filled tone. "What?" She nuzzled her head against Peter's chest and burrowed deeper into his embrace.  
  
"It's..." he looked at his watch. "10:00 AM. It is officially time to get up off of my bones."  
  
That got Mary Jane's attention. She raised her head and looked at him. "What? Oh...sorry," she started moving to sit up. Peter took a look at her and fought the urge to burst out laughing. Her hair had dried in an odd position, and now strands of red stuck out at every angle. "What?" she asked.  
  
"Oh...uh, nothing. It's just that...you might want to kill that cat on your head," Peter said, grinning.  
  
"What?" MJ raised her hands to brush her fingers through her hair. She groaned when she felt the tangles in her hair. "Oh great, major attack of bed-hair," she complained. She started dragging her fingers through her hair trying to flatten down the wild strands of fire.  
  
Peter chuckled and shook his head, "No...you look beautiful," he said.  
  
"Peter..." she warned him. "Don't joke around with me this early."  
  
"No, I'm serious. You look..." His voice died off as he looked -- *really* looked at her. "You look beautiful," he said.  
  
"Thank you," she said, no longer kidding around with him either. She sighed and slowly stood up. She stretched and yawned before speaking, saying, "Thanks for letting me stay here last night, but I should get going."  
  
"I know," Peter said reluctantly. He wished that she would stay here the whole day. He'd let her stay here with him for the rest of his life, if that was possible. Instead, he stood up beside her, yawning as she did just a second ago. "Your clothes should be dry by now. They are in the bathroom upstairs."  
  
"Thanks," she replied. Mary Jane walked up the stairs and a second later walked down in the outfit she had been wearing last night. She walked over to the couch and grabbed her purse. "I'll see you later, right?" she asked. God, he isn't even going to mention last night, is he? To him, it's like it never even happened.  
  
Peter nodded. "Sure." There was a feeling of awkwardness in the air; neither of the two knew how to act towards each other now.  
  
"Good," MJ said, smiling at him and blinking back tears that were already threatening to spill over. God, I'm really never going to get anything more than a friendship from him, am I? she asked herself, feeling her heart break just a little bit more inside. And here I am, praying and hoping for just...just a sign from him. That's all I want, and I should know that it's never going to happen. "Okay...well, I guess that I'm going to go now." She walked over to the door, slowly closing it behind her as to not make so much noise.  
  
Peter stood in the middle of the room, staring at the door that Mary Jane had just walked through. It hadn't even been a full month since Harry's father had died, and already he had let Mary Jane slip through his fingers twice. How much longer was he going to keep doing this to himself? He stood still a second longer before grabbing his jacket and heading out the door, slamming it behind him and racing to catch up with her outside.  
  
Peter took the stairs, jumping down them in threes and fours to get downstairs much faster than the elevator and ran out the door, looking for Mary Jane. It was lightly drizzling outside and Peter was getting wet -- again. He looked up and down the street, not finding Mary Jane anywhere. Then...  
  
"Taxi!" He heard a feminine voice shout. Peter's head turned to the left and he saw Mary Jane, standing in the road with her hand waving around in the air. "Taxi!"  
  
"MJ," he whispered under his breath, "MJ!" he called out, louder this time. He broke into a run and ran over to catch her before she caught a taxi. Of all the days, she had to choose this day to follow his advice. "Mary Jane!!" he called out again.  
  
MJ turned around when she heard someone call her name. "Peter?"  
  
"Mary Jane," he said, when he finally approached her. "You can't go...not yet."  
  
Mary Jane put on her straight, brave-girl face and stared at him. "And why not? I think that you've said everything that needs to be said."  
  
"No, I haven't," Peter said, smiling. "I have one more thing to tell you, and that's all."  
  
"What is it then?" MJ asked, crossing her arms.  
  
"I can't let you go without telling you my answer to what you were talking about last week at my apartment," Peter started. "My answer is...yes."  
  
MJ looked at him blankly. "Yes to what?"  
  
Peter took Mary Jane's hands into his and he slowly led her back onto the sidewalk and out of the street. He walked over to underneath the awning so they wouldn't get rained on again. "Yes, it is better to live six months of a life of love than a life without any love at all," Peter said. "Although, I *am* hoping that this will last longer than just six months."  
  
MJ started smiling, realizing what he was talking about. "Really?" she asked. Her face started glowing, hope glowing on her features.  
  
"Mary Jane, I...I love you," he said. "I've always loved you, ever since...well, as far back as I can really remember. You were right, I pushed you away to protect you, and that was wrong, I understand that now."  
  
Tears started welling up in MJ's eyes. "Peter," she murmured, smiling. Never in her life had she ever heard words so meaningful and caring. Never in her life had MJ had someone who cared for her on the same level that Peter Parker cared for her. "I love you too," she whispered, leaning towards him and wrapping her arms around his neck. The two tightened their grip on each other, both relieved that they could finally be so open about their feelings for each other. Mary Jane stepped back from the hug and looked up at Peter. She moved forward to meet his lips and the two met in the sweetest kiss of their life.  
  
  
  
***  
  
  
  
Days turned into weeks, which still seemed to pass all too quickly for Peter and Mary Jane. Mary Jane spent so much of her free time with Peter that she had practically moved into Peter's apartment. The two weren't sleeping in the same bed, however. Both had decided that she should move into Harry's old room because neither of the two wanted to rush anything and create regrets and worries. No, that was an obstacle that the two of them were not ready to face yet; both had agreed on it.  
  
The two were growing closer and closer with each passing day. Aunt May found out about the two and she was delighted that her nephew had finally found the perfect woman. Probably the only people happier than Aunt May where the actual lovebirds, Peter and MJ.  
  
For Peter, it was actually somewhat easier having Mary Jane know about his other life. For the first time, he had someone that he could confide in and talk to about what was going on, and she in turn, helped him get through it all.  
  
  
  
***  
  
  
  
"I can't believe *you* wanted to leave the party early!" Peter said as he unlocked the door to his apartment. His hands rubbed against her waist as he followed her through the doorway and into the living room.  
  
"What can I say? I wanted to spend some quality time with my boyfriend," MJ replied, raising her head to meet lips with his. Her fingers ran through his hair, pushing his head closer to hers. Oh boy, MJ thought, his hands... The way they moved over her waist, tightened and released in rhythm with their kisses and rested against her hipbones. He sent waves of pleasure surging through her body every time.  
  
"But you love those acting parties," Peter said, placing one more kiss on her forehead. "Usually I have to *drag* you out of them because you are little Miss Popular."  
  
MJ shrugged her shoulders and dropped her purse on the floor. "So what? It's Saturday night and I can't spend it with you?"  
  
Peter walked over and kissed her softly. "Hey, I'm not complaining," he said softly. "I'm just saying that-"  
  
"Give it a rest, Peter," MJ replied, lightly and playfully shoving him away from her. She turned around and started walking up the stairs, placing her khaki trench coat on the railing of the stairs.  
  
Peter followed her up the stairs but headed into his room, taking off his black jacket and draping it across the back of his chair. He unbuttoned the first couple of buttons of his shirt and crossed his room, heading towards Mary Jane's room. She approached his doorway still dressed in her black party dress.  
  
"Hey," he said. "What's up?"  
  
"Nothing," she said softly.  
  
However, Peter wasn't convinced. "Are you sure? You seem...quiet. Usually you are filled with pep and energy after a party like that."  
  
"Don't worry about it," MJ replied. She took a step towards him and rested her head against his chest.  
  
Peter dragged his fingers down the side of her cheek and let them rest against her shoulder bones. "I love you," he whispered into her ear. He raised his head and gently kissed her on the head.  
  
MJ looked over at him and smiled. "I know, Peter...I know. I love you too." She gently leaned forward and kissed him. With each kiss that the two shared, Mary Jane could feel the love and passion that they felt for each other simply increase. Peter raised his hands until they tangled in MJ's hair as he pulled her closer to his body. Mary Jane took a step even deeper into his embrace. She felt her knees grow weak and she leaned against his chest for support.  
  
Their kisses grew more heated, the two feeling a powerful need like never before. Mary Jane raised her right hand, lightly dragging it down Peter's arm, feeling his muscles. She pressed her other hand against his side, feeling the edge of his shirt rise. Mary Jane could feel his skin flex as she pushed him closer to her body. Kissing him hard on the lips, MJ let him know how much she wanted…no, needed him in her life, and the fact that she wanted to prove it to him.  
  
"Peter..." she whispered, her breath ragged.  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"Peter, I...I don't want to stop this time," Mary Jane said.  
  
"What?" Peter asked, his eyes widening. They had gotten pretty hot n' heavy several times since they started dating, but it was nothing more than kisses everywhere. "You mean that...?"  
  
"Yes, Peter, I love you, *all* of you," Mary Jane explained. "Love me, please."  
  
"Yes 'mam," Peter said, grinning before he captured her lips in a sweet, heartfelt kiss. Peter took several steps back towards his bed until the back of his legs banged into the mattress. Mary Jane pushed him back onto the bed and slowly started unbuttoning his gray shirt. She pressed herself against his hard body, kissing him deeply as she wrapped her arms around his waist, helping Peter take his shirt off. He looked at MJ, stopping what he was doing for one second. Mary Jane looked at him, her eyes, giving him a kind of signal that she was okay. Yes, she wanted him just as badly as he wanted her- maybe just a little bit more.  
  
  
  
Mary Jane rolled onto her back as she continued to kiss Peter, not allowing their kiss to break apart. She ran her fingers through his hair, and as she felt his hands run across her stomach, she let out a soft moan. Mary Jane was shaking from the way that Peter made her feel, feelings that no man had ever made her feel like. Peter made her feel like she was the most loved woman on the planet.  
  
"Peter..." MJ whispered. She leaned down and kissed his chest while her fingers ran over his abs and down to his trousers.  
  
"God, Mary Jane..." Peter whispered, his breath ragged from passion. His lips were burning with desire for the woman that he loved. Shivers raced up and down the spines of the two lovers as they kissed over and over again and were very quickly lost within each other. The two shared no more words that night, just sighs and moans as the two strove to get as close to each other as humanly possible. And at least for one night, everything was peaceful in their world.  
  
  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 


	6. The Next Day

Once again, thank you for all of the great feedback and reviews. (I think this was the most for a chapter ever! Wow!) I really love them all, so thanks for leaving me some kind words. Sorry this took a while to get out to everyone -- some real life problems are just too much to deal with!  
  
Thanks! Oooh, and here we go with some actual plot!  
  
Disclaimers all are in part 1.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
Peter awoke first the next morning when the first few beams of sunlight made their way through his open window. He looked down at the woman in his arms and sighed; for the first time in his life, Peter was perfectly content. Never had he felt so tranquil and relaxed. Peter tightened his grip around her waist slightly as he moved his head, placing it on top of MJ's as he closed his eyes again, hoping that he could get in a few more minutes of sleep.  
  
A second later, as if she knew that he was already awake, MJ began moving around. She repositioned her head on his chest, and turned her body on her side. She kept moving around, slowly at first, before she started stretching. She yawned and then looked across from her, raising her eyes to meet Peter's, who was lovingly staring down at her. "Mornin', Tiger," she greeted in a sleep-filled tone.  
  
  
  
"Good morning," Peter said back to her. And what a good morning it is too, he added to himself. He leaned down and brushed a light kiss against her forehead. "Sleep well?"  
  
"Like a rock," MJ replied. "A very happy, content rock."  
  
"Good," Peter said.  
  
Mary Jane raised her head and caught Peter's lips with hers. She pushed herself closer to him, resting her arms against his sides as she kissed him. However, she quickly pulled back and lowered her head, muttering an apology of, "morning breath." Peter smiled and watched as MJ reached over the side of the bed and grabbed his shirt. She buttoned up the shirt before standing out of bed and stretching. She walked into the bathroom and grabbed the toothpaste followed by the winter-fresh mouthwash. She ran some water over her face to wake herself up and smiled at her reflection in the mirror. Never before had she remembered waking up to a morning that felt so...*right*. It was *so* right that she didn't even know how to begin to describe it  
  
MJ walked back into Peter's bedroom and walked up to the edge of the bed. He was lying on his back, his head tilted towards her's as the two smiled at each other. "So, now I'm wondering if you are ever going to get out of bed, sleepy head," Mary Jane said, looking down at him.  
  
"Well, there was this beautiful redhead who distracted me last night," Peter started. "She sort of wore me out, too."  
  
"Who? Do you mean me?" Mary Jane teased. She sat back down on the edge of the bed and wrapped her arms around him, kissing his cheek softly. She moved her lips across the side of his face and met his lips with slow and drugging kisses.  
  
"Yeah, that would definitely be you." Peter replied, pressing his forehead against hers and placing a gentle kiss on her lips.  
  
Mary Jane grinned, happy that *she* was the girl who got to be with Peter Parker. She was lucky enough to get the chance to please him so greatly and that she could finally make him feel just as happy as she was too. "Well, I do my best." She said.  
  
"That you do," Peter said with a smile on his face. Peter grabbed onto Mary Jane's waist and dragged her back into the middle of the bed and refusing to let go of her. He took a deep breath, his senses calming when he breathed her perfumed scent in. "C'mon, MJ. It's Sunday morning. Don't you just want to spend the whole day in bed? I'm sure that we can find *something* to do…" Peter kissed her mouth and moved down to her neck, taking his time to kiss each inch of exposed skin. He planted kiss after kiss in the hollow of her neck before moving upward and he further explored the feeling of her warm skin.  
  
"Hmm…temping offer." Mary Jane replied, sighing as Peter ran his lips up and down her neck. "But…we've got plenty of time to do that...later." She teased him by moving away from his wandering and exploring lips.  
  
She started to climb out of the bed once again before Peter grabbed onto her arm. "Come on, MJ," Peter started. He gently pulled on her arm and tried to pull her back into bed.  
  
"C'mon, lazy bones," MJ said over to Peter with a smile that stretched from one side of her face to the other. "It's a bright and beautiful day outside, and it's time to get up!" She laughed before heading into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her.  
  
Peter lay on the bed with his hands resting behind his head. He heard the water running in the bathroom and then he heard Mary Jane loudly singing an off-key version of U2's "Beautiful Day."  
  
He smiled to himself and slowly started rising out of bed. Just little over a month ago, Peter thought that he'd been touching heaven by simply holding and comforting Mary Jane. But now he knew that he'd actually reached heaven last night when the two had made love. And finally, *all* second thoughts and regrets left Peter's mind; yes, he had made the right decision.  
  
  
  
***  
  
  
  
Peter and Mary Jane decided to walk home after seeing a movie at the theater later that night. The two took a short cut through the park and planned to walk through the alley in order to get home faster. MJ was okay with their plan since she had Spider-man to protect her from any thugs tonight.  
  
"So, I was thinking that...we could go home, and...you know..." Mary Jane said. Her arm was coiled around his as they walked a slow pace. She stopped Peter from walking and leaned over to kiss him, hoping to further express the true meaning of her words and get her message across.  
  
Peter jokingly groaned. "I can already tell that this is going to become a regularly-done thing, can't I?" Peter asked, wrapping his arm around her waist.  
  
"Peter!"  
  
"Not that I'm complaining or anything, but..."  
  
"No, I just..." she glanced down at the ground for a second, momentarily embarrassed before she smiled up at him, saying, "I'm just so pumped with energy."  
  
"Then, good. Maybe we can come up with some way to work all that energy off." Peter replied, smiling over at her.  
  
"Oh really? Well, what did you have in mind?" She asked. When Peter didn't answer right away, she looked over at him and noticed that he wasn't paying attention to her. Usually, that could only mean one thing. "Peter, what's wrong?"  
  
Peter looked around the park, not noticing anything out of the ordinary. He looked around the bushes and park benches and saw nothing but darkness. But there was something bothering him. He felt as if there was someone watching him. Yes, someone was definitely staring at them, and staring right through his back. Then, when he felt that prickly sensation going off -- his spider sense -- Peter knew that something was going on. "MJ..." he started, his tone filled with worry.  
  
"What?" she asked, her concern in her tone. "What's wrong?"  
  
"I need you to go home," Peter said, his eyes looking around the area.  
  
"Well, that's where we're heading right now," Mary Jane said, her eyes looking over at the apartment. "*We* are going home," she added, more insistent this time and hoping to persuade him to agree.  
  
"No, you go on ahead, I'll be there in a few minutes," Peter said. He shrugged off her jacket and Mary Jane took it from his hands.  
  
She looked at him with a frown on her face. This wasn't really how she had planned the rest of the evening to go, having her boyfriend go out and patrol around the city for hours while she sat around in the living room for the rest of the night, thinking about all the possible things that could go wrong while he was out there. "Okay," she said finally. "I'll be waiting up for you, so don't take too long." She turned around and headed for the alley. Peter watched her until she stepped through the doorway, making sure that she made it into the building with no harm.  
  
Peter ran out of the park and into another alley across the street, changing out of his normal clothes and into his Spider-man outfit. When he started to walk back out through the alley, Peter took a second to look at his surroundings. Everything seemed so calm, but Peter could have sworn that he had felt something weird in the air.  
  
"Spider-man..." a voice whispered through the air so lightly that it could have been mistaken for the wind. Maybe it was the wind, Peter thought.  
  
Peter turned back around, looking behind him and into the alley. "Who's there?" he demanded to know.  
  
"Spider-man..." the voice repeated again. Nope, definitely not the wind.  
  
Peter shook his head. That voice sounded so familiar...it sounded almost like his defeated foe. But that was impossible! "Goblin?" he dared to ask aloud.  
  
"Wrong guess," the voice said. "Let's just say...I'm a friend of the family."  
  
"Oh, good," Peter replied, not understanding what he was saying. He saw a tall, lean person step out from the end of the alley. His face was hidden in the darkness; all Peter could see was his silhouette. "Well, since I should know you anyway, why don't you step out here instead of hiding in the shadows." When Peter got no response, he asked, "What do you want?" in a commanding tone.  
  
  
  
"Want? I don't really want too much. It's very simple, actually. All I want, is to give *you* something," he said cryptically.  
  
"Give me what?"  
  
The stranger took another step towards him. "I just wanted to give you...*this*!" The man broke into a fast-paced run and jumped up into the air. He landed within a couple feet in front of Peter and, once he landed on the ground, gave Peter a strong right-hook, forcing Peter to take a few steps back from the man.  
  
Peter shook his head, holding onto the side of his jaw where he had been punched. He hadn't been hit that hard before in his life of being Spider- man...well, with the exception of that one Green person. "Goblin?" he whispered again. It had to be him; there was no one else it could be.  
  
"Goblin?" the voice sneered. "You think that I'm *that* green monster?" He took a step forward. The moonlight was dim, but Peter could start making out facial features. Brown hair, brown eyes, clean-shaven face, and a scowl distinctly lit on his features. "You killed my father."  
  
Father? "Harry..." Peter whispered to himself underneath his breath. "Who are you?" he asked in his commanding, Spider-man tone.  
  
"My last name is Osborn. You might remember that name," he said, walking up to Spider-man. "My father's name was Norman. Norman Osborn? The man that you *killed*!"  
  
"I didn't kill your father!" Peter replied angrily.  
  
"Then who did? And why did *you* just happen to be the person that dropped off his body?" Harry kicked Peter in the chest, pushing him back until he hit the brick wall. "Tell me!" he demanded.  
  
"It was the Goblin!" Peter shouted. And in some ways, it really was the Goblin. However he had done it, the Green Goblin infested Norman Osborn's mind, took over his thoughts, and ultimately drove him insane. Surely if it weren't for the Goblin inside of him, Norman would still be alive. "The Goblin killed him!"  
  
"Then Jameson was right! You two were working together," Harry said, dropping Spider-man on the ground. "You two were in on that whole thing from the very beginning. First you show up and become New York's new hero, and when things start looking down, *bang*! The Goblin shows up. What perfect timing! You defeat him, and everyone loves you again."  
  
"You don't know what you're talking about, Harry," Peter said.  
  
Harry froze, a look of confusion washing over his angry features. "How do you know my name?"  
  
"Look...I-"  
  
"How do you know my name!" He shouted. "I never told you my name!" He lifted his leg and kneed Peter in his gut. Peter fell back before jumping back onto his feet. Two strands of webbing shot out and grabbed onto Harry's shoes. When Peter pulled, Harry fell to the cement.  
  
"That's none of your concern," Peter said, standing upright.  
  
"The hell it isn't," Harry said, rising to his feet. He grabbed Spider-man by the neck, lifting him into the air. "Everything that you do is now my concern...where you go, who you save, what you..." his voice died off. He sniffed the air, wondering why he could suddenly smell perfume in a place like this. "Is that...Autumn Sun-Breeze?" he asked, dropping Peter onto the ground.  
  
Oh great, Peter thought sarcastically. Autumn Sun-Breeze was Mary Jane's favorite perfume. She wore it every day of every week just about. Peter thought back to a couple days ago when she was applying a few drops of perfume onto her wrist. Peter came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, surprising her since she didn't hear him. Mary Jane jumped back in surprise and spilled the bottle of perfume all over her shirt, consequently also spilling perfume all over his arms and the suit underneath his shirt.  
  
Harry remembered the conversation he had with Mary Jane where she could not stop talking about Spider-man saving her life. All she could say was that he was "incredible" and many other words that she never used when she was talking about him. A thought crossed his mind: "Are you with Mary Jane?" Harry asked, taking a step closer to Peter. "So, it's not bad enough that you have to go and kill my father, but...you go and...*touch* my girl?"  
  
"She's not your girl," Peter said, slowly starting to stand back up.  
  
Harry let out...was that a growl? Peter thought for one second, before charging Peter. Harry picked him up and threw him against the wall, rage clearly shown on his face. Harry grabbed Peter's head and shoved it down against the ground. Peter threw a couple punches, then ducking to avoid Harry's fists. Peter dodged and then tucked into a somersault, rolling away from Harry.  
  
"Stay away from MJ!" Harry screamed. Grabbing onto Peter's arm, Harry threw him across the alley and against a dumpster. Peter's back slammed into the dumpster, leaving a dent, as he fell to the cement. Harry stood in front of Peter, slamming his right fist, and then his left fist into Peter's face, until eventually, Peter was beat into unconsciousness.  
  
  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
OK...well, what did you all think? Please let me know. I was worried about how this went. Next part will be out as soon as I can get it out! :)  
  
TBC... 


	7. The Beginning of the End

Thanks to everyone who left me reviews. :) I really, really appreciate them all and am very glad that everyone is enjoying this story.  
  
Thanks!  
  
Disclaimers all are in part 1.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
When Peter awoke, bright lights flashed before his eyes. Everything around him was a gigantic, bright blur. He blinked a few times allowing his eyes to adjust to the light. The right side of his face felt numb after his encounter with Harry, and his whole body ached.  
  
That's when Peter realized -- it was morning now. Dawn had long come and gone, and he wasn't back at his apartment yet. Mary Jane, he thought to himself. She's going to be worried about me. Groaning, Peter climbed to his feet, holding his throbbing head in his hands as to not rattle his brain around so much.  
  
Extending his hand, Peter let a strand fly up into the sky, knowing that he should get back to Mary Jane as soon as possible because she had probably worried herself sick about him. He was closer to his apartment than he had originally thought last night, and was home within seconds.  
  
"Mary Jane?" he called out as he stepped into his room. Peter pulled off his mask and sighed, dropping the piece of fabric to the floor. He took a few steps into the room before turning around and shutting the window behind him. The bed was made up and everything looked normal, as if she hadn't even been in his room. Peter changed out of his suit, careful to not aggravate his injuries, and changed into some sweats.  
  
"MJ?" he called out, headed towards the stairs that would lead him down into the kitchen and living room area.  
  
"I'm down here," she said, her voice traveling from downstairs.  
  
When Peter looked over the railing of the stairs, Mary Jane was sitting at the dinner table, a full mug of coffee in her hands. "Hey," he greeted softly, walking down the rest of the stairs. Peter walked up to her and gently placed a kiss on her forehead as he ran his fingertips through her hair.  
  
"Where were you?" MJ asked, worry in her tone. "You were out for more than twelve hours."  
  
"I...I got beat up pretty bad," Peter admitted. "But it's okay now."  
  
"I got worried. I stayed up until...well, late, last night. You didn't come back home, so I went to bed thinking that you'd come back sometime in the middle of the night. But you weren't here when I woke up, like you promised you would be," MJ said, looking up at him. Peter pulled out a chair and sat down next to her. "I just thought that something bad had happened to you."  
  
"I'm sorry, MJ," Peter apologized. "I...ran into some guy who has some vengeance plan for me."  
  
"Well, at least you're okay now," MJ said, grabbing his arm and squeezing it tightly. "I guess that it's like having a police officer for a husband...well, boyfriend, when he leaves in the middle of the night and then the girlfriend has to wait up for him to return."  
  
"What time did you get up?" Peter asked her. Apparently, MJ had been more worried than Peter thought when she woke up this morning when she saw that he hadn't returned from his patrol around the city.  
  
"Around 7:30," MJ replied. "I just...I couldn't sleep without you here."  
  
Peter moved the chair closer to MJ's and took her into his arms. She lay her head against his shoulder as he hugged her. Only in his embrace could she ever feel safe and protected from everything around her. Peter wrapped his arms around her tighter and pulled her into his lap. He gently kissed her forehead, whispering words of sweet nothings in order to soothe her. "I'm sorry," He apologized. "But I'm okay."  
  
"Then who ran your face into a tree?" MJ asked, pulling back and looking at him with a smirk on her face. "You look pretty beat up. What, was it like the attack of Goblin Junior?"  
  
Peter thought back to the image of Harry beating the living daylights out of Peter. "Something like that," he managed to say, unable to tell her that the man she had fought was Harry Osborn.  
  
"Well, let me get you something for that," Mary Jane said, standing up and walking over to the fridge. She pulled out a blue ice pack and wrapped it inside of a towel that lay on the counter. "Here," she said, walking back over to him and placing it against the side of his face.  
  
"So, are we okay then?" Peter asked.  
  
"You know we are, Tiger," MJ said, leaning forward and gently brushing her lips against his. "I'm going to go upstairs and change." She leaned down and gave him one last kiss before moving towards the stairs. "I'm glad that you're okay," she said, smiling at him.  
  
"You and me, both," Peter replied before placing the ice pack on his right eye.  
  
  
  
***  
  
  
  
It was late that night when Harry decided to drop by Peter's apartment. He assumed that Peter didn't know what was going on. If Mary Jane were in really serious danger, then Peter deserved to know about it. Although he wasn't too fond of Peter anymore, he knew that he could trust him. Maybe he could help keep her safe from Spider-man when Harry wasn't around.  
  
Harry knocked on the other side of Peter's apartment. A second later, Peter opened the door. His face brightened when he saw who was stopping by to visit. "Harry!" He said, surprised to see him here. He extended his hand, which Harry shook, as he worked on hiding his concern for why he was here. Does he know? Peter thought with worry.  
  
"Peter, hey...how are you?" Harry said.  
  
"I'm...I'm fine," Peter replied. "Come on in."  
  
Harry stepped inside and smiled at him. "How are things here? I see that you've keep the place looking pretty clean."  
  
"Things are good," Peter replied. "How...how are you? I haven't seen you in months."  
  
"I'm...well, I'm as good as can be expected." Harry replied. "I guess that I still have some problems getting over...well, you know..."  
  
"That's understandable," Peter said. "I know what you went through, so trust me...I understand."  
  
"Hey Tiger!" A voice called down from upstairs. "Are you coming up to bed yet?"  
  
Parker has a girl at his place? Harry looked up the stairs, his eyes widening. He could have sworn that was... "Was that...MJ?" He asked, swallowing nervously.  
  
"Uh...yeah, it sure was," Peter replied. "She was...uh, visiting," he started, trying to cover up the obvious.  
  
Then, Mary Jane walked down the steps dressed in her bathrobe carrying a glass of water. "Hey, Peter..." then she noticed Harry. "Oooh, uh...hi Harry."  
  
Harry's face went blank. Peter and Mary Jane? Together? "Hey," he managed to say nervously. It was then that he finally noticed little odds and ends that obviously belonged to a woman. It was obvious that Mary Jane had been living with Peter for longer than a day or two.  
  
Then, Harry thought of something. Spider-man smelling like Mary Jane's perfume, him just finding out that Mary Jane was sleeping with Peter. Was this more than a simple coincidence? Then he remembered when his father had left so abruptly last Thanksgiving without any real, believable excuse. Had that been why he left?  
  
That's it! Harry thought, trying to surpress the smile on his face. His father must have found out who Spider-man *really* was and then Peter set out to find him and kill him.  
  
"How are you?" MJ asked, walking up to greet Harry.  
  
"Look...uh, I have to go," Harry said, his face loosing its happiness and becoming worry-filled. "I forgot that I have this class I have to take tomorrow morning, and I should really get some sleep."  
  
"Harry?" MJ questioned. "Are you okay?"  
  
"Yeah...yeah I'm fine, I just...I just shouldn't have stopped by so late." He looked at Peter and then back at MJ. He watched as Peter approached MJ in a protective manner. "I really have to go!" He turned on his heels and headed out the door, slamming it behind him.  
  
"This is not good," Peter muttered, walking back over and sitting on the couch.  
  
"What?" Mary Jane asked, following him and sitting down beside him. "Peter, what's wrong? Is it that Harry knows about us? Who cares."  
  
"No, it's not that..." Peter started. "Okay, this morning I was hoping that I could just leave this part out and not have to tell you, but..."  
  
"But what?" She asked, her tone becoming demanding and needing to know what was going on. "Peter..." she began in a warning voice.  
  
"It was Harry," he said. "The guy that you said...ran my face into a tree, was Harry."  
  
"Harry?" she asked, her voice filled with disbelief. "But that's...it's *Harry*!"  
  
"Believe me, I know."  
  
"Peter, c'mon...the guy doesn't know the difference between a right-hook and a...a chemistry equation," MJ argued, remembering how little Harry knew about chemistry. "How could be even touch you?"  
  
"I don't know, all I know is that he did," Peter replied.  
  
"So, this brings me to my next question, which is...why?"  
  
Peter shook his head, debating whether or not he should tell her something as important as this. MJ didn't need to fill herself with worry about what was going on in his world as Spider-man. Finally, he muttered, "Harry's father was the Green Goblin."  
  
MJ stared at him for a second as if his words had entered one ear and blew straight out the other. "What?"  
  
"The reason that Harry is after me...Spider-man, is because I killed the Green Goblin...Norman Osborn," Peter said, lowering his eyes. The feelings of guilt overwhelmed him for an instant when he remembered the expression on Norman's face as he said, "Don't tell Harry" that night.  
  
"But how?" MJ asked.  
  
"I don't know that either. He was just insane. It was like he was still Norman Osborn but had the Green Goblin battling inside of him," Peter explained. "I...I didn't want to kill him when I found out who he was, but he left me with no choice."  
  
MJ nodded, trying to be an understanding person in this situation. "So what are you going to do now? Do you think that he knows about you?" Peter slowly nodded. The expression on Harry's face mirrored that of his father's when he left the table last Thanksgiving. "Then he'll probably be coming back here some time, right?"  
  
"You can count on that," Peter replied.  
  
"Then what do we do?" MJ asked, worry evident in her eyes. She still thought of Harry as a friend, to both her and Peter, and couldn't imagine him so filled with evil that he'd go so far as to kill someone because of vengeance.  
  
"I guess we just get ready for anything," Peter said. "There's not much else we can do except that." He moved closer to MJ on the couch and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. He pulled her closer to him and kissed her cheek. "Don't worry, I *promise* that I won't let anything happen to you," he swore.  
  
  
  
***  
  
  
  
At 6:00 AM, the alarm clock started buzzing. Mary Jane had to get on the lot of the TV show she was appearing on to film a scene that was suppose to take place at a little after sunrise. Mary Jane slowly woke up and quickly shut the alarm off so she wouldn't wake up Peter. Wiping the sleep out of her eyes, she began crawling out of bed. Immediately, Peter's grasp around her tightened as he, too, began to wake.  
  
"Morning MJ." Peter said softly into her ear.  
  
"Good morning Tiger," Mary Jane replied with a smile on her face. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you up so early."  
  
Peter slowly sat up and kissed her forehead. It was as if all thoughts of Harry and the Green Goblin had been momentarily purged from his mind. For this morning at least, Peter wanted to temporarily forget about all of that and concentrate on the woman he loved. "It's okay," he said in a soothing tone. Even throughout the possible problem with Harry, Peter had never been happier. This: having Mary Jane be the last thing he saw when he went to sleep and the first thing he saw when he woke up. He'd never have second thoughts about his decision ever again.  
  
"What are you looking at?" Mary Jane asked, interrupting his thoughts.  
  
"Nothing. Just thinking about how lucky I am to have you in my life." Peter replied. "And it's okay that you woke me up. I have a few things to do today."  
  
"Really? What?" Mary Jane asked curiously.  
  
"I have to get some photos developed for Jameson on that scene that Spider- man was at the other day," Peter explained. "Anyway, don't you have to get to the TV set?"  
  
"Well…yeah, I do. But I have plenty of time, don't worry." Mary Jane leaned over and kissed Peter on the cheek. She climbed out of bed and grabbed her clothes she had set out the night before. "I'm going to get a shower." She announced.  
  
Peter also climbed out of bed and walked over to his desk. Already, Mary Jane's perfume aroma of citrus and flowers was beginning to fill his room, something that seemed to calm him to the depths of his being. He heard the water turn on from his bathroom as Mary Jane stuck her head out of the doorway with a smile on her face. "Pe-ter!" She sang. "Aren't you going to join me?"  
  
Peter turned around and stared at his girlfriend dressed only in a towel. How can I refuse that offer? He thought. "Well…just as long as you have time and aren't late," He said.  
  
Mary Jane walked up to him and pulled him closer to her. "Trust me. We have plenty of time." She shrieked and laughed aloud when Peter picked her up and carried her into the bathroom. Over the pounding of water on the tiles, laughter could be overheard from the two lovers.  
  
Needless to say, Mary Jane was only ten minutes late to the set.  
  
  
  
***  
  
  
  
Peter and Mary Jane had just settled down for bed that night when he remembered that he had forgotten to pick something up today. Damn, he thought when he realized what that was. He had picked up the photos but had never dropped them off at Jameson's office.  
  
Peter groaned, inwardly debating whether or not he should just wait until tomorrow and drop them off in the morning -- but then he'd have to deal with Jameson's complaints, sarcastic remarks, and complaints about just how bad his photography was. He took a second to look down at Mary Jane who was lying on her side with her face buried against his chest. Maybe I should just stay here, he thought to himself. I should stay with her. But he wanted to go ahead and get it out of the way. Peter turned over onto his side and sat up, shifting the weight of the bed towards him.  
  
"Pete?" MJ mumbled, her hands reaching out for him. When she didn't touch his skin, she opened her eyes. MJ frowned when she watched him dress. "Where are you going?" she asked.  
  
"Just out," Peter explained as he put on his jacket. "I have drop off those photos for Jameson."  
  
"But..." she started. "Just do it tomorrow."  
  
"I'll just take a second or so," Peter assured her. "I won't be gone long. I just want to get them so I can take them over there tomorrow morning. He likes to get the photos early."  
  
"Don't take too long," Mary Jane said. "I'm getting cold without you here." She gave him a slight frown and Peter broke out into a grin.  
  
"I'll be back here before you wake up, promise." He said, leaning down and kissing her on the mouth.  
  
"I love you," she whispered when the two broke apart.  
  
"I love you more," Peter replied, smiling down at her.  
  
"Really, you think so?" Mary Jane asked. "We'll see about that when you get back."  
  
"All right, I'm looking forward to it." he replied, turning to head out of the room.  
  
  
  
***  
  
  
  
Mary Jane lay in bed, wondering how long it would take Peter to get back from where ever he had run off to. She loved how adamant he was about his job, which included being Spider-man, but sometimes she just wished that he could be a normal guy. It was jealous of her, sure, but sometimes she wanted Peter just to herself. She stared at the ceiling a few seconds longer before turning over to her side, trying to get to sleep without him holding her.  
  
From downstairs, she heard something knocking on the front door. She raised her head, wondering who that would be at this time of night. It wasn't exactly late, but it was too late for visitors. If it was Peter, he could just swing into the room up here, she thought for a second. However, the knocking continued, this time even more frantically.  
  
"Peter?" she asked, climbing out of bed. "Is that you?" She grabbed the robe from the end of the bed and slipped it on before walking downstairs. "Did you forget your keys or something?" She unlocked the deadbolt and opened the door.  
  
"Mary Jane," the voice said in a greeting tone.  
  
"Harry," MJ replied with a hint of surprise and worry in her tone. Worry because she didn't know what he was doing here, and surprise from the fact that he came back at all. "What are you doing here?"  
  
"I came to see you," Harry replied, smiling at her.  
  
MJ stared at him, not able to read his expression. Was he angry? Insane? Or maybe he was just trying to be a friend again. But I trust Peter, she thought. "Well, it is some what late for you to be visiting. Maybe you should get home...if you have any classes tomorrow that you have to be there for, then-"  
  
"Shut up," Harry said, pulling out a gun and holding it up level to Mary Jane's face.  
  
"Harry! What the hell are you doing?" MJ cried out. She turned and started running through the apartment, not really knowing where she could go to escape him. Harry grabbed onto her right arm and spun her around to face him. He pressed the gun into her side as he spoke.  
  
"You chose Peter over *me*." Harry said, tightening his grip around her arm. Millions of insane thoughts raced throughout Harry's mind. A part of him knew that this was wrong -- hurting Mary Jane was the wrong thing to do, but the other part of him craved her fear, loved the pain, and needed the insanity.  
  
"Ow!" MJ cried out. "Harry, you're hurting me!" She struggled against Harry's grip. When he let go and she took a step back, Harry's right fist shot out and slammed into Mary Jane's cheek. She stumbled back onto the floor as Harry continued to speak.  
  
"At first I just thought it was...well, I don't know actually," Harry began thoughtfully. "I mean...look at me, I have all the money in the world right at my fingertips! And what does Peter have? He has...a brain for chemistry and anything else in the nerd category."  
  
"He has more than that," MJ said, massaging her cheek. "And more than you could ever dream of having. Peter has a heart, a conscience. He cares for me...not for the way I look, or the way I laugh...or the clothes that I wear. He loves me for *me* and nothing you can do would change that."  
  
"We'll see about that," Harry said. "Right after I kill you. Oh, I have plans to get to him eventually, but...since you're here, MJ, I think you've just moved to the top of the list."  
  
Mary Jane saw what he was doing and gasped. C'mon, feet...move! she commanded her body, but she was frozen in fear. Harry closed one eye to get a better aim, and made sure that there was no way that he could miss. He carefully aimed the gun at Mary Jane and released the trigger...  
  
  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Haha, that's where I'm ending it for now!  
  
TBC...please drop me a line on what you thought of this chapter! I'll get the continuation out ASAP. 


	8. Final Showdown

Once again, thank you for all of the great feedback and reviews. I've gotten such a great response from all of you -- this is by far the most reviews I've ever gotten. Thanks!  
  
This is where the hard stuff starts for me b/c I'm not as good as writing action as others are -- I could write tons and tons of fluff, but that's what I'm good with. Hehe, and sorry ending part 7 with such a cliffhanger. This is a short part (Part 1 of 2). School is overwhelming me right now...geez, you'd think the end of the year would be easier!  
  
Disclaimers all are in part 1.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Mary Jane held her breath when she heard the shot go off. When she didn't feel any pain or anything hit her, she opened her eyes. Harry was smiling at her -- an evil smirk that disturbed her more than she would have liked to admit. She looked behind her and saw that he had aimed at the window right behind her head. The glass was shattered and had scattered all over the floor. She let out a huge sigh of relief. Well, at least I'm not dead yet.  
  
"How'd you like that?" Harry asked.  
  
"You're crazy," Mary Jane said, climbing to her feet. Oh, of course they work just fine *now*. she thought sarcastically.  
  
"I'm just doing what I have to do," Harry said.  
  
"You know that if you do anything, Peter will come after you. You harm me in the slightest way, and he won't stop until you pay," she said, hoping to make him realize what he was doing.  
  
"Oh, then you must not understand, MJ," Harry said. "That's exactly what I'm hoping for, babe. That's what I want. Now unless you want another demonstration on how this gun works, I'd suggest that you follow me."  
  
Marry Jane stood upright and faced him with a stern look on her face. "I don't trust you," she said, refusing to move.  
  
"I don't care," Harry replied. "I've got the gun."  
  
  
  
***  
  
  
  
When Peter walked back inside his apartment, he threw off his jacket and headed back up the stairs, intending to kiss Mary Jane senseless and make up for leaving her in the middle of the night. He took off his jacket and draped it over the couch before heading upstairs.  
  
"MJ?" he asked softly when he reached the doorway. "You still up?" There was no reply.  
  
Thinking that she had fallen asleep, Peter took a silent and slow step inside their bedroom. He looked around the room and took a step forward to look in the bathroom. No Mary Jane. Hmm, that's weird, Peter thought for a second.  
  
"Mary Jane?" He asked, turning around and walking back downstairs. He wandered over in the living room area, searching around for any sign that she had left to go find him. Maybe she stepped outside to go find me. He took a step forward and stepped on a shard of glass. It shattered beneath his weight and went flying. When Peter looked down he saw hundreds of small pieces of glass surrounding him.  
  
"MJ?" He called out, taking a second to look around the living room again. It was almost as if he didn't want to fully believe that she had been kidnapped while he was gone. No, no, no...she's here. God dammit, she's got to be here!  
  
One of the windowpanes was broken and several objects had been knocked on the floor. Peter's worry instantly increased when he realized that she was missing. Dammit! He thought. If only I hadn't left. He ran across the room and turned on the lamp. His eyes searched around the room, looking for anything that could give him a clue as to what happened.  
  
He turned and saw a sheet of paper lying on the couch. He picked it up and began reading.  
  
Peter --  
  
You finally got the girl I see. Well, now *I* have her, and if you want her back, you're going to have to play things my way.  
  
Meet me at the building on 8th and Main.  
  
Understand Spider-man?  
  
  
  
There was no signature, not that it mattered anyway. Peter didn't need one. Peter already knew who it was. He crumpled the letter and let it drop to the floor, anger and rage appearing on his face.  
  
A second later after changing into his usual Spider-man red and blue outfit, Peter jumped out of his window, releasing a strand of webbing, and flying down the streets going to the destination that Harry picked out.  
  
  
  
***  
  
  
  
Once again, someone had gotten through to Spider-man by going at his weaknesses -- Mary Jane, the only other person besides Aunt May that he truly cared about anymore. Harry had grabbed her in hopes of drawing Spider- man out and killing him. Like father, like son. Peter sarcastically thought as he flew through the sky.  
  
Who would have thought that someone would have simply repeated the Green Goblin's method to draw Peter out from hiding?  
  
Peter arrived at the tall deserted building on the corner of 8th Avenue and Main Street within minutes of reading that note. Rage was evident in his strict and straightforward actions as he flew down Main Street flinging strand after strand of webbing. Now, all he cared about was getting Mary Jane back.  
  
"Don't worry, I *promise* that I won't let anything happen to you," he had promised her that evening after Harry visited. He had *promised* that nothing would ever get to her -- ever again. From Peter's perspective, he had let Mary Jane get kidnapped by his own stupid carelessness. The moment when Peter thought that his life was perfect, he lowered his defenses. That had given Harry the perfect opportunity to get through him. All in all, it wasn't a stupid plan.  
  
Peter landed on the side of the building and looked up. He had landed on the ninth floor or so of the building. A couple stories above where he was hanging was a broken window. There were no lights on in the building, but Peter could see very well at night, naturally. He climbed and leaped up the side of the building and through the open window.  
  
When he landed, he listened for any motion in the rooms. Anything, such as Mary Jane calling out for him, a shoe dragging across the boarded floors, or even something as small as a breath that could help him find out where MJ was.  
  
Peter walked through the room that he entered and into the next room. He squinted his eyes in the darkness and saw a silhouette of a person sitting in a chair. "MJ?" he whispered. *If* that was MJ that meant that Harry had to be somewhere nearby. There was no way that Harry would be stupid enough to leave MJ alone. Harry might not have been a straight A+ student in high school, but he wouldn't make a mistake that grave, that much Peter knew for sure. Peter walked up to her and bent down on his knees to look at her closer.  
  
Yes, it was definitely Mary Jane.  
  
"Mary Jane!" he whispered commandingly, shaking her shoulders. She was tied to the chair with rope around her arms and a scarf between her mouth. He shook her more forcefully.  
  
When Mary Jane started blinking her eyes, she squirmed. "Nnnnmm!" she mouthed, unable to speak through the scarf.  
  
"MJ, it's me...Peter," He said, beginning to untie her arms. He reached back and started to untie the knot against the back of her head.  
  
"No!" she shouted when the scarf had grown loose, squirming away from Peter's touch. "Don't touch me!" she screamed. "Harry! Stop!"  
  
"No, MJ...it's Peter," he said, grabbing onto her shoulders and stopping her from fighting with him. He grabbed his mask and threw it onto the ground and looked into her eyes. "It's me!" he said.  
  
"Peter?" she whispered, unsure of anything right now. She looked across at him, sure that it was him when she saw the glimmer of his blue eyes. "Oh god! Thank God you're here!" She reached out her arms a hugged him tightly, grimacing when she felt the great shots of pain race throughout her body. She placed a kiss on his cheek and hugged him, breathed him in, and tried to calm down.  
  
"Oh, MJ," Peter sighed, relieved to see that she was still alive.  
  
"I...I can't see you very well," she said when she pulled back from him. "I can barely see anything." And that was true; it was very dark in the building. No one must have been here for months. There were no lights, either natural or artificial, of any kind around the two.  
  
"What happened, are you okay?" Peter asked.  
  
"No..." she moaned, closing her eyes. Peter watched a few tears slip from her eyelids and drop down the side of her face. "Peter, get me out of here," she whispered. Peter wrapped his arms around her and hugged MJ tightly. She hissed and recoiled from his grasp feeling her pain on her arms.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Oh...uh..." MJ stared. "Harry, when I fought with him back at the apartment, he grabbed onto me and pushed me to the ground," she explained nervously. "He squeezed my arm too tightly. It'll probably be a bruise tomorrow, nothing more. It's no big deal."  
  
"No big deal?" Peter asked, amazement in his tone. How could she simply blow this off? It *was* a big deal.  
  
"Peter, I'm okay for the most part," Mary Jane said, not wanting to have him start overreacting.  
  
"Did he do anything else to you?" Peter asked, looking her over to see what other damage Harry had done to the woman he loved.  
  
"No...I'm fine," MJ said, not wanting to tell him about Harry hitting her. That would really send him over the edge. "I'm just glad that you are here."  
  
Peter nodded, not believing her. From the tone of her voice, she was hiding something from him. There must be something else, he thought for a second. "Come on, I'll get you out of here," he said.  
  
Mary Jane started standing up before grabbing onto him. "No, you have to get out of here," she started. "Harry has a gun, Peter...he really wants to kill you."  
  
"I know," Peter replied. "I'll deal with him later. All I want to do right now is get you back home where you'll be safe." He helped Mary Jane stand as he started making his way out of the room. He got to the doorway before the hairs on the back of his neck started standing on end. His eyes searched around the room...Spider-sense, he thought. Harry. He's close.  
  
"Oh, how romantic," a voice sneered. "Should I be imitating a violin, here?"  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
And so that's as much as I've written up so far. I split the parts so you could read what I've got.  
  
TBC...hope you enjoyed! (Hehe, did you really think I could kill MJ? :) I'm not that cruel!) 


	9. Final Showdown Part 2

Once again, thank you for all of the great feedback and reviews. I've gotten such a great response from all of you -- this is by far the most amount of reviews I've ever gotten. I love reading them, glad you all are enjoying the ride. Thanks!  
  
This is a continuation of part 8A, where everything gets finished and your questions get answered. This is the last main part...followed by an epilogue whenever I can get that written out also.  
  
Disclaimers all are in part 1.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Oh, how romantic," a voice sneered in the darkness. "Should I be imitating a violin, here?"  
  
"Peter?" MJ whispered into his ear, wondering what to do next. How were they going to get out of this mess? Peter looked around at where he thought he heard Harry's voice and saw the gun glint in the shadows. It didn't take much to obviously know that Harry had plans to use that on the two of them.  
  
"MJ! Get down!" Peter yelled, pushing her to the floor. Mary Jane quickly followed his orders, but before Peter had a chance to protect himself, bullets came flying at him from the shadows. To Peter, who began ducking and moving around, it seemed as if they were coming from every direction. He ducked, swerved, moved to the left, to the right, hoping to avoid being shot. Then...  
  
A bullet hit him in the right arm. Peter thought that he had moved out of the way and a bullet could only nick him at the worst, but instead a bullet lodged into his right biceps. Pain and fire began racing throughout his body. Peter screamed when the bullet hit him and fell to the ground.  
  
The gunshots stopped after that and a disturbing silence filled the air.  
  
  
  
"Peter?" MJ called out with a worrisome tone. She had heard the shot, Peter's scream, and then the sounds of complete silence. Worry filled her mind as dread filled her heart. "Peter?" MJ asked again. She started moving on her hands and knees in the shadows trying to get over to her boyfriend. "Pete!" she whispered, looking around for him in the darkness.  
  
  
  
"MJ" a voice whispered to her left. Yes, that was Peter's voice.  
  
"Peter?" Mary Jane whispered, her tone filled with hope. She reached out to feel for his outfit, and grabbed onto a bare hand. The hand grabbed her with such force that Mary Jane thought that her arm had been ripped out of the socket. No! This can't be Peter, MJ wildly thought when she felt herself being lifted off the floor. Harry pulled MJ up to her feet and wrapped his arm around her neck.  
  
"See? I told you that he would come," Harry said, his hot breath running over her face. Mary Jane took a deep breath, trying to tell herself to not panic. Everything will be all right, Mary Jane said. Peter is still alive and we are *both* going to get out of here. What else could she tell herself in this situation?  
  
"See? The good guys always fall for it," Harry explained as if it were a simple math equation. "They get the chance to save the damsel in distress and, once again, they become the big, beloved hero. I guess that Peter is really used to that." Harry took out another cartridge of bullets from his pocket and placed it back in the gun as he spoke.  
  
"You don't know what you're talking about," Mary Jane hissed at him.  
  
"And like you do?" Harry asked back. "So, where is that boyfriend of yours? Lying on the ground somewhere? Maybe I shot him right in the heart? Or the head...and his brains are lying all over the ground over there."  
  
"Shut up!" Mary Jane said, refusing to believe that Peter was dead. Over at one of the windows a huge beacon of light passed through the window and then followed into the room next to them.  
  
Harry "hmm"ed with interest as he watched the light pass through the rooms, as if he wondered what they were doing here at this time of night. "What? You didn't think that no one would hear your gun shots?" Mary Jane asked. Thank God, she thought. Maybe we can all get out of here alive.  
  
"Actually, I hoped the police would show up. Spider-man's death would get more publicity that way." Harry said.  
  
"You're sick," MJ said looking up at him.  
  
"You're one to talk," Harry said.  
  
"What does that mean?" Mary Jane asked, looking up at him. She glanced into his brown eyes -- his cold, emotionless eyes and shivered at the sight of them.  
  
"C'mon, MJ," Harry said. "You chose-"  
  
"Let her go, Harry," Peter's voice said, interrupting Mary Jane and Harry's strained conversation.  
  
"Peter!" MJ cried out, a mixed tone of worry for him and happiness that he was okay.  
  
The beams of light passed through the windows of the barren room again, lighting up the area around the three, mostly Peter's face. His eyes were cold and stone-like, a look that Mary Jane had rarely, if ever, seen before. There was blood on the right side of his face, and when Mary Jane took a closer look, she noticed that he was holding onto his right arm with his left hand. Blood was dripping down to the floor, but at least he was still standing.  
  
"Well, well," Harry said. "I'll be dammed." He started to back up from Peter, dragging Mary Jane with him. "You know, I figured it all out pretty recently, in fact, it was at the apartment that night, but I just...well, I couldn't picture it. Peter Parker, high school nerd was really Spider-man, God...no wonder no one can figure out just who you are. Who would have guessed?"  
  
"Let her go, Harry," Peter replied, clenching his jaw. Shots of pain ran up and down his arm, but he didn't want to show Harry how badly he was hurt. His left hand pressed against the gun shot wound trying to slow the bleeding.  
  
"So, why did you do it, Peter? Why did you kill my father?" Harry asked, refusing to follow Peter's orders. "C'mon, Peter...that's all I want to know -- *why*?"  
  
"I...I didn't kill your father," Peter said. How could he explain in a way that Harry would understand?  
  
"No, that's where you are wrong, you *must* be," Harry said. "However, the only reason I could think of was that my father obviously knew who you were...so, you had to get rid of him."  
  
"Don't you dare say that," Peter said. "Your father helped me get that apartment, Harry. He helped Aunt May and myself get through in life in those few months when we really needed someone." The lights ran across the building again, lighting up the room for an instant. Peter looked over at Mary Jane trying to read her expression on her face.  
  
"I'm okay," she mouthed over to him slowly.  
  
"So what's the plan, Harry?" Peter asked.  
  
"Well, I really want to kill you," Harry said. "I don't care if you are Peter Parker, my best friend from high school, or Spider-man, the big hero of New York City. You are a murderer; you deserve to die."  
  
"Then let Mary Jane go," Peter said, clenching his teeth together. All he could think of was the pain running through his veins and up and down his arm. He had to concentrate to form each syllable and not double over in pain. "Let her go and deal with me."  
  
"But I was planning on getting back together with her after I killed you," Harry said, tightening his grip around her neck.  
  
"Dream on, scum-bag," MJ said up to him. She tried to step out of Harry's grasp, but he held onto her neck too tightly.  
  
"Harry..." Peter started, in a demanding, yet warning tone.  
  
Harry grinned at Peter, a grin so evil that it made Peter shiver. I never knew that there was so much evil inside of him, he thought for a second. "All right." He released Mary Jane and pushed her -- hard. Mary Jane went flying across the room, colliding into the wall on the other side of the room.  
  
"MJ!" Peter cried out, taking a step towards her when he saw that she wasn't making a move to get back up on her feet.  
  
"Not so fast, Pete," Harry said, tightening the grip on his gun. "I said that I would let her go for now...not you. No...I really want to have some fun with you first." Harry ran up to Peter and punched him in the face. Peter quickly regained his strength from that, raised his left hand, and punched Harry with his left fist. He and Harry traded blow for a few seconds, neither of the two winning.  
  
Peter raised his left hand and a string of webbing flew out at Harry. Harry tired to duck, but the webbing grabbed onto his jacket. When Peter pulled, it dragged Harry down to the floor. The webbing ended and Peter took a few steps back trying to stay away from Harry while he regained his strength. He looked down at his arm and grimaced at the sight of all the blood. Peter couldn't feel his right arm, much less use it to help him defend himself, so he had to rely heavily on his left hand.  
  
Peter and Harry circled each other, completing a half turn and changing places. Now Peter stood backed up to the window and Harry facing him. The lights circled around that side of the building once again and Harry stood completely still. Then, after the lights had dimmed, but before Peter had a chance to let his eyes readjust to the light, Harry walked up to Peter and punched him in the jaw. Peter fell back onto the floor and landed first on his injured right arm. He forced back a moan of pain before he looked up at Harry.  
  
"This is where you get off, Spidey," Harry said, aiming the gun down at Peter's face.  
  
Peter looked past Harry and saw a shadow creep up behind him. Mary Jane... he thought with happiness swelling in his chest. MJ leaped up onto Harry's back, screaming at Peter for him to grab the gun.  
  
In Harry's right hand, the gun glinted in the moonlight. Using his left hand, Peter shot out a web up towards the ceiling. He raised himself about eight feet off the floor, easily escaping Harry. Harry raised his hand and pushed Mary Jane off of him, looking around for Peter. Harry didn't see Peter raise himself in the air since it was so dark in the room. Mary Jane had succeeded in distracting him, and by the time that Harry finally noticed, it was too late. Peter swung out from the darkness and raised his feet, hitting Harry and pushing him backwards. Harry collided into the window, shattering the glass and tumbling out the window of the eleventh story of the building.  
  
Peter lowered himself to the floor and walked over to the windowsill. He looked down at the ground where almost ten police cars were parked around the building. Policemen were gathering around Harry's body as the paramedics quickly approached him with a stretcher in the middle of them.  
  
Instantly he was brought back to the night where he had faced the robber who murdered his uncle. Deja vu, Peter thought slowly. It didn't matter now. Just like that night...that night that seemed so long ago, he felt no remorse for what happened to Harry. The only thing he felt was shame for what had happened to his friend, and the question that would haunt him forever: was there anything he could have done to save his friend?  
  
"It's over," Peter whispered to himself, releasing a sigh of relief that everything was finished. He turned back around and ran over to Mary Jane who was sitting on the floor. "MJ," he whispered.  
  
"Hmm?" She brushed her fingers against the side of her forehead, softly groaning when she felt a warm liquid running down the side of her face. "Peter?" she softly asked.  
  
"Yeah, it's me," he said. "I...I killed him."  
  
Mary Jane opened her eyes and looked up at him. "Harry?" Peter nodded. She started to rise to her feet, wincing when she felt a pang rush from her back to her side. That will be a bruise tomorrow, she thought. "You did what you had to do," she told him.  
  
"I should have done something else," he said regretfully.  
  
Mary Jane leaned on Peter for support until she noticed the bruises on his face and remembered about his arm getting shot. "C'mon, we need to get home," she said, letting him lean on her now. "We should get you changed and then get to a hospital."  
  
And slowly, the couple started walking out of the building.  
  
  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
OK...yeah, action was slightly lacking.  
  
Anyway, stay tuned for the epilogue...I think that'll be out as soon as possible. School has really got me working pretty hard right now. Don't worry...just 12 days left! 


	10. The Ending

Sorry.......guess with everything that happened....real life problems that have come up and ff.net being shut down for several weeks, I never got to finish this fic. Hope you haven't forgotten about it, but I kinda forgot to get the epilogue (which has been done with for months) posted on ff.net!  
  
I guess that this is the last time I can say thank you for all of the great reviews that you have left me. I've never gotten any over 30, much less over 100, so thank you for all of the support! This is it, folks...the epilogue, the last part of this story. Thank you to everyone who like this fan fic.  
  
Anyway sorry for the babbling, thanks again!  
  
Disclaimers all are in part 1.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
A couple of days later Harry's funeral was held. His casket lay next to his father's, the only place that seemed so right for him to rest. Few people came to his funeral since no one really knew him past seeing him the hallways of college or at his father's building. Strangers that worked for Norman Osborn came to the service, yet Peter and Mary Jane didn't see a single other person they recognized.  
  
Mary Jane, dressed in a black knee-length dress, stood facing Harry's headstone. Underneath her dress, white gauze was wrapped around her stomach from the broken ribs and band-aids were here and there on her arm and cheek. Also, a couple bruises wee scattered along her arm. Peter stood at Mary Jane's side dressed in a simple black and white outfit. His right arm was in a sling, compliments of the bullet that Harry had fired at him, but his bruises had almost healed.  
  
"I just can't believe it," Mary Jane said, looking down at the grave. "Less than six months have gone by and already...Harry's dead."  
  
"I know," Peter said. "I...I don't know what went wrong. What happened to him?"  
  
After Peter had been stitched up and sent home from the hospital, millions of questions began to race throughout his mind. Why hadn't he tried to help Harry more? What could he have done differently -- if anything? If he *had* done something differently, would Harry still be alive and he and Mary Jane wouldn't even be here in the first place?  
  
"Peter?" Aunt May called out from behind him.  
  
Peter turned around and watched Aunt May slowly approach the two. "Aunt May," he greeted, wrapping his loose arm around her.  
  
"How are you two holding up?" Aunt May asked, concern clear on her features. "Peter, how is your arm?"  
  
"It's getting better, Aunt May," Peter said. "And...we're..well, okay as can be," he added, looking over to MJ for confirmation.  
  
"It's just so sad, isn't it?" Aunt May asked, tightening her grip around her nephew. She took a step back and looked at Mary Jane. "Hello, darling," she greeted the red-head.  
  
Mary Jane cracked a small smile. "Hello Aunt May," she greeted.  
  
"First his father and now him." She wiped away a tear as she continued speaking to them both. "It's such a tragedy." She looked at Peter and Mary Jane, noticing how solemn their expressions were. "I just wanted to tell you two that I'll be at the wake. I hope that I'll see you two there."  
  
Peter and Mary Jane stood side by side, staring down at Harry Osborn's headstone. They held hands, using each other for moral support. Neither spoke for several moments, not knowing what to say. "We seem to spend too much time here," MJ finally said. "Your uncle...Dr. Osborn, and now Harry."  
  
"I know," Peter said. "I...I didn't know what else to do. He was...there just wasn't any other way that I could think of."  
  
"It wasn't your fault," Mary Jane said, looking at him. "There wouldn't have been anything that you could have done to help him."  
  
"You really think that?"  
  
"That was the path he chose, Peter," Mary Jane said. "He chose to avenge his father's death by going after you." she shook her head and sighed. "He was just...he was insane. He'd gone completely mad."  
  
"No, he wasn't crazy," Peter said calmly. "He was...he was simply a man bent of revenge, that was all that he could really do anymore. I mean, what else was left for him to do but to avenge his father's death?"  
  
"I don't know...maybe seek some psyciatrical help?" Mary Jane asked sarcastically.  
  
"I know that I would have done the same thing if it were you," Peter said sincerely.  
  
MJ cracked a small smile. Even in the hardest and most serious situations, Peter always seemed to make sense of it and prove just how much he loved her. "And I know that, Peter. I knew that you wouldn't give up as long as I was in danger that night. That's why I was okay back there in that building."  
  
"But I was so worried," Peter started, turning his head away from her, refusing to look over at Mary Jane. "I was so worried when I came home that night and you weren't there in our bed. I just thought that it was..." his voice died off for a second as he thought about how he was going to describe to her how he really felt that night. "All I could picture was that the whole Green Goblin situation was happening to me all over again."  
  
"But I'm okay," Mary Jane said, looking at Peter with worry. "Really, I am. *You're* the one who got shot, Tiger, not me," she added, looking down at the blue sling.  
  
"I just...I was hoping that maybe nothing like this would ever happen to us again," he said. "I guess that was wishful thinking, huh?"  
  
"Peter, there will always be things that are out to get you, and since I'm with you all of the time now, I guess that it will only be natural for them to come after me," Mary Jane said. She had to convince him that no matter what they had to stay together. There was no way that she would let them break up over something like this. No, they would face everything together.  
  
"But, Mary Jane...with you as a *friend* I had some hope that you would be safe-"  
  
"Peter Parker, don't you *dare* start that with me," Mary Jane said. I will not cry, she told herself. I *will* not cry. "So, what? One villian comes along and you're ready to give up? To give up on us? Well, it's too late. I love you too much to ever go back to being just a *friend* again. No, that's not going to happen."  
  
"And I don't want that to happen, MJ," Peter said. "God, I love you so much that it hurts...you *know* that. But I don't want a life this dangerous for *you*. You deserve something safer."  
  
"Safer? Peter, this is New York, how much safer can it get?" she asked back at him, raising her eyebrows. "It's just...this is *so* much," she said, voicing her one and main concern. Her life had been pretty average until Spider-man had suddenly appeared, and then all of a sudden her life had been placed in danger twice. "There's just so much to deal with, there are so many deaths."  
  
"*Too* many?" Peter asked. "Is this too much, MJ?"  
  
"No," MJ replied with defiance in her tone. "Nothing is too much compared to being with you. I can deal with all of the rest of the stuff."  
  
"Then what?" Peter questioned. "I know that there must be something bothering you." So many weeks had passed with the two so close to each other that Peter often knew when something was bothering Mary Jane.  
  
"I just want, no...*need* to know...what's going to happen next, Peter?"  
  
"I don't know," He admitted. "What do you want to happen next?" Mary Jane didn't have an aswer to that question. She started throughtfully at him but unable to come up with an answer. "Look...I just need you to be here with me. Just as long as we are together, I know that we can over come it all."  
  
Mary Jane smiled as a tear dropped down the side of her cheek. "That sounds like a good plan," she whispered.  
  
Mary Jane wrapped her arms around his neck, pushing her body against his. Slowly, the two met, hugging and kissing each other as they tried to block out all of the pain and heartache. There were obstacles in their future, and they both knew it. However, both of them knew that they could to it just as long as they could do it together.  
  
"I love you," Peter whispered against her cheek before gently kissing it.  
  
"And I love you," Mary Jane replied.  
  
And for Mary Jane and Peter Parker...love was enough.  
  
  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Thanks! 


End file.
